Happy Ingredient Function Friday! Here is this week's companion recipe. Our ingredient this week is heavy cream and strawberry shortcake is a perfect companion recipe. It is a little early for strawberries...they are just looking and tasting decent here in Los Angeles. I had some delicious berries last week and might have gotten a little carried away.

If they are not available in your area you could use frozen. I included the method for both fresh and frozen berries.

Not only does this recipe use whipped cream but the shortcake biscuit is a cream biscuit. This is a delicious shortcake recipe - there is just a little bit of butter in it to encourage a little flakiness.

The first baker to post a photo of their finished strawberry shortcake will receive an 11" OXO balloon whisk. We have winners for all the other contests. I love the engagement! Thank you to all the bakers for baking and submitting photos. I hope you get to bake something delicious this President's day weekend, like these shortcakes...

Cut in the butter with a bowl scraper or pastry blender until the butter looks like coarse meal.

Add the heavy cream and vanilla over the top of the dry ingredients, using the bowl scraper to push and fold the liquid into the flour. If it looks dry add a little more buttermilk (a tablespoon at a time) around the edge the bowl. ***Heavy cream is heavier then regular milk so it does not hydrate the same. You may have to add a little bit more to get the dough to come together.

Continue to mix and fold until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and there is no dry residue on the bottom of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. It will seem rough but push the edges together, roll the dough into a rough rectangle and fold into thirds.Roll out dough to 1/2" thick.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out as many complete circles as possible before having to re roll the dough. Re roll no more then twice. The more the dough is rolled the tougher the biscuits get.

Place the biscuits on prepared sheet pan, brush with extra heavy cream. Chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes, 350 if using a convection oven. When done they will be golden brown and should feel relatively light when you pick them up. If they feel heavy, return then to the oven for a few more minutes. The biscuits can be made ahead and frozen. To use: thaw at room temperature for an hour or two and then refresh in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Step by Steps Photos:

Cutting in butter

This is how it looks when it needs a little more heavy cream - pour on the side - it is easier to mix in.

This is how the dough should look after it has been quickly smoothed out, folded into thirds and rolled out to 1/2" .

On the tray and ready to bake...

Light golden brown...

Macerated Strawberry mise en place

Macerated Strawberries

Paring knife, cutting board, medium bowl, fork

1 pint Strawberries, washed, remove tops and quarter

4 tablespoons sugar

few drops of lemon juice

Sugared strawberries....

1. Place strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Toss ingredients together. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Mash the berries lightly with a fork. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

**if using frozen unsweetened berries thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Pour off most of the excess juice, quarter them (if they are whole) and proceed with the recipe.

Whipped cream

8 ounces heavy cream

1 .25 ounces (2 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Whip cream until it is the consistency of yogurt, add sugar and vanilla. Continue whipping until soft but does not slide down the slide of the bowl. See video below.